Equal Justice Initiative, Museum, Memorial (in Montgomery)
Deep Dives
Deep Dives are site visits to selected nonprofit organizations that serve critical socioeconomic needs in Alabama. The CEO or a representative describes the work of the organization, its history, challenges, and needs. A tour of the facility provides a deeper understanding. Participants may optionally use a provided checklist to make observations and discuss what they observed and learned.
In this case, there is a ticket fee required for entry to the Museum and Memorial, the tour is self-guided, and a post-tour debrief will be provided by a member of the EJI staff. Please pre-order your ticket here for 12:00 entry to the Museum well in advance (discount for age 62+). Also, please send an email to our Events Chair to reserve your seat in our discussion group and you will receive a confirmation, and checklist by reply email: Email John Whitman.
EJI founder and E.O. Wilson Distinguished Lecturer Bryan Stevenson is featured in this article in the Harvard Law School alumni publication, Harvard Law Today, recounting the founding of the Legacy Museum and Memorial. Mr. Stevenson's bestselling book, Just Mercy (2015), is a must-read before our Dive.
The Organization
"The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society" (EJI website). See the website for more complete information. Our visit will include a self-tour of the The Legacy Museum and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Following the tour we will meet with a member of the EJI staff for about 45 minutes to debrief the experience and learn more about EJI's work.
Please arrive at the Museum no later than 11:45 AM on Saturday, 18 May. Each entry ticket for the Museum has a specified start time, so it is critical to arrive for a noon start time (if you arrive in advance, you may have lunch at one of the nearby restaurants). The Memorial also requires a ticket, but it is not time-stamped. We plan to spend about 90 minutes in the Museum (until 1:30) and then move (5 minutes by car) to the Memorial for a 60-minute tour (until 2:45). NOTA BENE: We will all meet up at 2:30 at the Peace and Justice Memorial Center, 414 Caroline Street (directly across from the Memorial) for a debrief with EJI staff and Deep Dive discussion. This is not to be missed, even if you have not yet had enough time to complete a visit to the Memorial, which you can visit or revisit later.
Please read the following suggestions for advance consideration, provided by EJI:
As you prepare for the museum, memorial, and to connect with EJI staff, we recommend inviting the group to view this video about Montgomery's history. We released the video prior to the opening of the museum and memorial, but it offers a great insight to the content and goals of these spaces.
In addition to this video, you might also encourage the group to explore the resources at lynchinginamerica.eji.org. In addition to the Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror Report, the website also includes a short documentary about a family's journey to connect with the lynching of one of their relatives, audio interviews discussing the legacy of lynching, and an interactive map of the documented racial terror lynchings throughout the country. The curriculum on the site can be helpful as you all continue to reflect on the experiences at both sites.
We recently published Segregation in America, a new report and website that documents how millions of white Americans joined a mass movement of committed, unwavering, and often violent opposition to the Civil Rights Movement. EJI believes that understanding this mass opposition to racial equality, integration, and civil rights is central to confronting the continuing challenges of racial inequality today.
If members of your group are less familiar with EJI, we recommend having them watch this video which just offers a brief introduction to the organization as well as exploring the content and resources available on our website: www.eji.org.
The CEO
Bryan Stevenson , JD '85, MPP '85, LLD '15, founded Equal Justice Initiative in 1994 and serves as Executive Director. Under his leadership, EJI has won legal action against excessive and unfair sentencing, freeing innocent death row prisoners, challenging abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and assisting children prosecuted as adults. Please see a more complete biography here. Note: While Mr. Stevenson will not be available for this Deep Dive, our discussion leader/s will be highlighted here once assignments are determined. Please stay tuned.